“Oseidos is no more,” Saros went on, “But with Menon awoken within our Kai, youngest of the Mahina clan, finally we will see justice dealt.”Saros raised a fist.“The tides will rise, my friends.And so will we.”
Once again, and as horrifyingly as before, the congregation bowed before him.
Glory.Prestige.Everything he had wanted, and yet it felt so hollow, so wrong and cruel, when Kai had done nothing to earn it.
“You need time.I understand, of course I do.”Saros squeezed Kai’s shoulder.“Rest.We’ll be off soon, to Caelos.Hilo will be arriving shortly on the Tannos.”
Saros and Nalu returned to the other priests, and the people on the beach turned back towards themselves, their little groups, whispering.Gritting his teeth, Kai limped through them, his eyes trained on Ione’s parents.
They bowed hastily to him as he approached.He never did like them.Now he liked them even less.“Where’s Ione?”
Ronan nearly cowered, spineless as ever.“She – she just needs time.There’s no need to concern yourself, Holiness.”
Kai bristled.Don’t fucking call me that.
“You worked hard,” Penina said evenly, although her eyes blazed, bitter and covetous.“House Artem congratulates you on – ”
“Where,” Kai broke in, and at once Penina and Ronan lowered their heads.“is yourdaughter?”
A hand wrapped around his arm, and Kai whirled,fury and terror climbing in his throat.River’s dark eyes met his and, without meaning to, Kai lunged to clasp onto him.He scanned River’s arms, ran a hand over his abdomen, images of him burnt and bleeding flashing through his mind.But he, too, was healed.
River caught his hand.Held it.“I’m going to check the altarhouse again and see if there are any other survivors before the Tannos arrives.”There was a dense pause.“Will you accompany your seleneschal, Holiness?”
“River, what thefuckare you – ”
“Holiness.”River closed in, exasperation flashing through his fatigue, and hissed, “Play the part or they’ll throw you into a straightjacket, you plank.”
Kai sucked in a breath, that millisecond of normalcy so reassuring he wanted to cry.He swallowed, his eyes roving from Ione’s parents, who avoided his gaze, to his brothers and Saros and the high priests, and back to River.River held out his hand, and Kai nodded, feeling sick.
Just like Ione used to, Kai laid his wrist in River’s – his seleneschal’s – hand and allowed himself to be led away from the people of Oseidos.
Walking winded him instantly.Halfway up the hill, past so many broken, smoking buildings, Kai’s knees buckled.He tensed, anticipating crashing to the ground, but River held onto his arm and carefully lowered him to sit.
Kai lifted his shaky hands, studied them, turned them this way and that.They didn’t feel connected to him.He wrung them together, touched his face, his hair.It all felt foreign.Ill-fitting.
“Breathe,” came River’s voice, but Kai barely heard him.
Would he feel like this forever?Why did this happen?If this was real – if he hadn’t gone insane – then why wouldn’t Menon have just awoken within Ione like She was supposed to?
He didn’t want this, didn’t want this, didn’t –
“Breathe.”River was in front of him now.“Breathe.She’s all right.She can wait a second.”His hands were cool on Kai’s face.River’s expression cracked, albeit briefly, revealing sorrow and beneath it, relief – but he squeezed his eyes shut and schooled himself.“You need to calm down,” he said, stern again.“I’m not taking you to her if you’re going to start crying.”
“I’mnot– ” An errant, frustrated tear slid down his cheek; River wiped it with the heel of his palm.He gave in, following River’s stupid breathing instructions: breathe in, hold, breathe out.In, hold, out.It wasn’t helping, but he did it anyway, praying to wake up from this nightmare.
“Good.”River too blew out a breath.
“Ione?”was all Kai could say, his voice coming out choked.
“She’s up ahead.”River’s mouth was a grim line.“We saw her walk up here after we finished gathering everyone up on the beach.Cynthia and I’ve been finding excuses to come up and check on her every now and then since.”
“How… is she?”
He didn’t quite answer.“She didn’t want to talk,” he said.“But now you’re awake, I thought…”
River moved to stand, but Kai grappled for him, pulling him back down.“Wait – wait.”He swallowed, tasted smoke and blood.“What happened to me?”He felt River’s fingers tense in his hands.“Please.I need to know.”
River’s eyes lowered.“It’s… it’s like Saros said.”His gaze met Kai’s again, mournful.“You’re Menon.”
